Your Right to Know

The Ohio House last week approved a $1.74 billion capital budget, after blocking a Democratic
attempt to include 38 community projects into the construction bill.

The budget, which is now in the Senate, includes $400 million for higher-education construction,
$675 million for K-12 school buildings and $365 million for public-works projects such as roads,
bridges, water systems and solid-waste disposal.

It does not include any of the community projects that traditionally have been a part of past
capital budgets. The Kasich administration has said it wants the budget to be lean and focus only
on the state’s core responsibilities, but Democrats argued that local projects can fuel economic
development as many areas struggle from the economic downturn and state budget cuts.